BigAngus752

This is my nightcap tonite. I was a rye guy before I was a bourbon guy. I'm blessed to have a plethora of outstanding ryes right now ("Jefe, what is a plethora?") but I'm on a mission to find a Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye. I've tried it twice in bars and love it. This one is very good one in the meantime.

Well, your post caused me to start Googling. Beavers are highly protected furbearers in Illinois. No hunting and only trapping with permit. According to AI Google, however, you are pretty much free to blast them as you (a landowner) see fit...so...happy hunting! A shotgun requires close quarters. Beavers can get pretty chunky so I'd stick with a center-fire rifle rather than try a rimfire. Can you use something "quiet" in your state? A suppressed .300 Blackout would be just right. But I like @Scott F 's response. That's what we do here. Tons of help available to relocate them when they invade our space here.

Last year we paid a pro to paint our cedar-sided house. We couldn't afford to do the same for our 1800 sq ft garage, mostly because it needed a significant amount of cedar/carpentry repairs and I just can't pay thousands for what I can do myself...so...for two months I did the carpentry and my wife and I painted. Some of the lap cedar couldn't be salvaged so I replaced sections with board and batten. The walk-in door wasn't properly flashed and sealed originally so I had to replace sheathing, insulation, and the door as well as new board and batten on that side of the garage. My wife was a super-woman. I worked on it every evening after work and ten hour days on weekends. She was right there the entire time painting. I kept her on the ground and I did all the carpentry and the painting from the 32ft ladder.

All of those are good ones. Our favorites out of those are EC C924 and Knob creek 12. We are never without a Knob 12 in the cupboard. It's smooth, caramel-ly, and very consistent from bottle to bottle.

I just pulled them out for the winter. My two group 27 TM batteries are Diehards from a local auto store and the manufacture dates are 4/21 and 5/21. I absolutely abuse these. I fish two electric-only lakes and I drain these to 20% or lower at least 4 times a month. More when I can get out. They replaced two Interstate batteries that lasted 14 months before they stopped taking a charge. My cranking battery is the original cranking battery. It's an Interstate and my boat is a 2016 so it's a 15 or 16 manufacture date. I keep my batteries on the charger 24-7 when not fishing. From March to Thanksgiving they are in the boat (stored indoors) and on a Dual Pro Professional. From Thanksgiving to March they are in a heated garage and on individual Shumacher smart chargers (with maintenance mode). I check water levels twice a year.

There have been several times that I've read descriptions of the palate and finish on a bottle that costs $150 and was sure I wanted it, but then found a bar that would sell me a pour and was thankful that I didn't buy it. I wish I could take a rod on the water for a day before paying for it. I've got a couple hanging on the wall that could have been money better spent elsewhere.

We made a pact to not buy any more bourbon this weekend since we spent so much on our trip to Kentucky last month, but when you go to a bar/store where you can buy a pour and try it before you buy it...well...here we are. These are both fantastic. Caused us to break our oaths.

That's exactly what is going to happen Monday. This dog is also clairvoyant!!!

A few years ago I called Duckett Fishing and ended up talking with a guy in the rod shop. They had discontinued my favorite line of rods and I told him I was trying to find a MH rod with a lot of backbone but a very parabolic tip and moderate action that could hurl a lure a mile and could keep a fish pinned with treble hooks. He said, "Wow, you practically just quoted Jacob when he told us what he wanted". I figured that was a clue so I bought one Jacob Wheeler rod. I now own 3. I use them for medium and deep crankbaits, medium and large spinnerbaits, and vibrating jigs. If this description sounds like what you are looking for you can always find the Jacob Wheelers on sale sometime from now until Xmas. I have two MH/Moderate Fast and 1 HF. Edit: I just looked them up and saw that Duckett has discontinued them and now sells Jacob Wheeler Select rods for $249. Maybe you can find one of the original Wheelers still in stock somewhere. Should be $149 or less. I suggest the MH/Moderate Fast in 7'3".

My closest lake is electric only. Fortunately they allow gas engines on the boat as long as they aren't used. My point to this topic, however, is that one of the guys that lives on this lake has a good-size jon boat with an all electric outboard in 6 or 7hp. I swear you could ski behind it. This guy flies down the lake leaving a full wake behind him. I've talked to him and he loves it. Unfortunately I won't see him again until spring or I'd get the make/model for you.

East Central Illinois here. This is usually the time of year that I'm getting my largest numbers by far. The warm weather has slowed that. I caught about 20 today but the water temps are still about 6 degrees higher than usual for November 15. I'm hoping the incoming cold will bump up the action for a week or so before the fall feed is done for the year.

I understand your point, but it's a hard row to hoe finding a professional athlete (or comedian, or politician) that isn't a train wreck in their personal life. I won't cast the first stone. And I have the same suspicions you do. I suspect Mike CAN clap this guy in round 1....but I'm afraid he'll just dance with him for money instead.

The wife and I are looking forward to watching Iron Mike drop this fool. It will make me feel better about my own age too! LOL

Nice! That sounds like a good day (and a bad headache for me the next day).

Congratulations! That's an epic fish. The southerners won't understand this milestone in Illinois. You've found great water and you've certainly put the work in. Well-deserved PB! Go for seven!

Really love the Weller 12. It's always so consistent year after year. Always delicious.

That's a good looking bass! Love those colors.

Asked my wife where she wanted to go for her birthday and she picked Frankfurt, KY and Bardstown, KY. We've been there before so we knew of places we could shop and not pay for overpriced bottles. This was the result. Should last us until the next trip, LOL.

Ned gets a 1. Frog or toad in lily pads gets a 9. Everything else I throw falls somewhere in between.

The Illini hosted Purdue. Illini came in 4-1. Purdue 1-4. Purdue had beaten the Illini 6 in a row at home. Illinois went up 27-3 and ended up behind briefly and then winning 50-49. The craziness continues. I hate watching boring games so....

^^^This is a champion's mentality^^^ If you decide that there are circumstances in which you are unlikely to catch fish, then you probably won't. It's extremely rare that I get to fish for smallmouth and your tactics are extremely similar to my tactics for LM fishing in clear(ish) water.

Outstanding work!

I was fishing at a private fishing club today on a lake that is rarely fished. I find this little guy stuck in a crevice in a log. His shell and head were dried out and I thought he was dead. I was surprised to find him alive and kicking when I pulled him out of his predicament. I clearly saved this turtle's life and I really expected him to be appreciative but he tried to bite my face several times when I only wanted a selfie with him. I was about to set him free when I discovered HE HAS NO BACK LEGS. He just has two nubs. Something had long ago bitten his hind legs off. I was feeling sorry for him and wondering how he was escaping predators and feeding himself when he has no back legs. I had kneeled to pull him out of the water and take the selfie and I set the turtle down on the deck to push off from the laydown and HE CHARGED ME! He tried to bite the side of my calf so I stood while he tried to chase me around my own boat. Seriously ungrateful turtle. Allow me to summarize: 1. I saved this turtle's life and he hates me. 2. He has no back legs. I named him Lt. Dan and sent him on his way.